Christians carry the cross for persecuted believers

Two Pembrokeshire Christians decided to take Jesus’ challenge literally this Easter by carrying a large home-made cross on a section of the Pembrokeshire coastal path.

Jonathon Beharrall and his friend carried the cross for twenty fours from noon on Good Friday until noon on Easter Saturday.

“We believe the Lord has called us to carry this rough-hewn driftwood cross to highlight the plight of the persecuted church” said organiser Jonathon Beharrall.

“And we are determined that the focus should not be on us but on the cross and the price many Christians are paying for their allegiance to Christ.

“The cross symbolises suffering and sacrifice and we want to identify with such suffering as we walk and pray together."

He was inspired by the United Nations Human Rights Commission's estimate that a Christian dies for their faith every five minutes.

"We are hoping and praying that we will raise support for those who dare to believe in Jesus as Lord," he said.

Rob James, Pastor of Wesgate Evangelical Chapel Pembroke who commissioned the walk at a united church service on Good Friday morning said, “ I am thrilled that Jonathon and his friend are willing to make such a bold statement.

"His statistics are supported by the findings of Italian sociologist Massimo Introvigne who challenged a recent conference on Christian-Jewish-Muslim interfaith dialogue in Hungary to face up to this appalling loss of life.

“These two Christian men are doing all they can to respond to the appeal issued by Open Doors to ‘walk with your persecuted brothers and sisters’."

He said that the pain of the walk would be "nothing compared to that endured by believers in more than fifty countries throughout the world today".

"I pray it will inspire others to walk the same walk of faith and somehow bring great encouragement to those whose dedication to Christ is both humbling and inspiring," said James.

Beharrell added: “At the very least the daily hostility, marginalisation and state harassment cause numerous Christians to feel second-class citizens and unwanted even in their country of birth.

"It is our prayerful hope that we will not only show our solidarity but also raise support for those who are paying the ultimate price for daring to live for their Lord.”